1943 – Born on this day, Creed Bratton, Grass Roots, (1968 US No

1943 – Born on This Day In Rock, Creed Bratton, Grass Roots, (1968 US No.5 single ‘Midnight Confessions’, plus 13 other US Top 40 singles).

Background and education

Born William Charles Schneider in Los Angeles, he grew up in Coarsegold, California, a small town near Yosemite National Park. His grandparents, mother, and father were musicians, and he took a liking to music at a very early age. At 13, he received his first guitar from a Sears mail order catalogue. He became a professional musician during his high school and college years. Upon his mother’s remarriage, his name was changed to Chuck Ertmoed.
Musical career
Early years

He decided to try life as a traveling musician and made his way on a global excursion, during which he changed his name again, to Creed Bratton. He traveled through Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Appearing with his group the Young Californians, he played guitar at a large folk festival in Israel. Fellow American and guitarist Warren Entner witnessed Bratton’s performance, and asked him to give him a call when he got back to the United States. In 1966, they formed a partnership and recruited the remaining members needed for their group, the 13th Floor. Bratton played lead guitar, Rick Coonce played drums, Entner played rhythm guitar, and Kenny Fukomoto played bass. They recorded a demo and sent it to Dunhill, a new record company headed by Lou Adler.
Bratton playing at The Office Convention in Scranton, PA in 2007
The Grass Roots

Producers/songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri heard the demo and liked it. They needed new band members for a folk rock group that they had created in 1965. The 13th Floor lost their bass player to the draft during this time, and quickly recruited Rob Grill. They changed their name to The Grass Roots for prior name recognition and went straight to the top 10 with their first recording, “Let’s Live For Today” in 1967. The group continued in their hit-making vein and toured the United States. Iconic hit songs such as “Midnight Confessions” cemented their standing as major contributors to the rock music scene.

The Grass Roots had top songwriters offering their best songs to them and they wrote many songs themselves. Bratton co-wrote “Beatin’ Round The Bush”, “No Exit”, and “Hot Bright Lights”, and self-composed “Dinner For Eight” and “House Of Stone”. Bratton played with the group on their first four albums – Let’s Live for Today, Feelings, Golden Grass, and Lovin’ Things – three of which charted. He took part in the first ten singles released, eight of which charted.
Solo years

In 2001 and 2002, Bratton released three albums showcasing his solo recordings since the 1960s. In 2007, he presented an induction award to The Wrecking Crew at the Musician’s Hall of Fame. In 2008, he released another album of new music with producer Jon Tiven. Bratton is currently recording a new album titled “Bounce Back” with producer Dave Way to be released in March 2010.
Acting career

Bratton began to pursue an acting career in 1969. He has appeared in films such as Mask and Heart Like a Wheel. He is a current cast member (playing a fictional version of himself) on NBC’s Emmy and SAG award winning The Office. In 2008, he appeared in a short film with Kyle Gass titled “Just One Of The Gynos”, which won an award for best short film at the 2008 Malibu International Film Festival. He appeared in the feature film Labor Pains in 2009.
Filmography